Tag Archives: PCIe

Congatec has announced the conga-SMX8, the company’s first SMARC 2.0 Computer-on-Module based on the 64-bit NXP i.MX8 multi-core Arm processor family. The Arm Cortex-A53/A72 based conga-SMX8 provides high-performance multi-core computing along with extended graphics capabilities for up to three independent 1080p displays or a single 4K screen. Further benefits of this native industrial-grade platform include hardware-based real-time and hypervisor support along with broad scalability as well as resistance against harsh environments and extended temperature ranges. The SMARC 2.0 module is designed to meet the recent performance and feature set needs for low power embedded, industrial and IoT as well as new mobility sector.The new SMARC 2.0 modules with NXP i.MX8 processors, hardware based virtualization and resource partitioning are well suited for a wide range of stationary and mobile industrial applications including real-time robotics and motion controls. Since the modules are qualified for the extended ambient temperature range from -40°C to +85°C, they can also be used in fleet systems for commercial vehicles or infotainment applications in cabs, buses and trains as well as new electric and autonomous vehicles.

The new conga-SMX8 modules feature up to 8 cores (2x A72 + 4x A53 + 2x M4F), up to 8 GByte of LPDDR4 MLC or pseudo SLC memory and up to 64 GByte of non-volatile memory on the module. The extraordinary interface set includes 2x GbE including optional IEEE1588 compliant precision clock synchronization, up to 6x USB including 1x USB 3.1, up to 2x PCIe Gen 3.0, 1x SATA 3.0, 2x CAN bus, 4x UART as well as an optional onboard Wi Fi/Bluetooth module with Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n and BLE.

Up to 3 displays can be connected via HDMI 2.0 with HDCP 2.2, 2x LVDS and 1x eDP 1.4. For video cameras, the modules support 2 MIPI CSI-2 video inputs. The new NXP i.MX8 based SMARC 2.0 modules come as application-ready super components including U-Boot and complete Board Support Packages for Linux, Yocto and Android.

ADLINK has introduced its latest COM Express Type 6 modules. According to the company, Express-CF modules are equipped with the 8th generation Intel Core processor family and Intel Xeon processor E-2100M family, and are the first Type 6 modules to support both Xeon and Core i7 Hexa-core (6-core) CPUs. These Hexa-core processors support up to 12 threads and a turbo boost of up to 4.4 GHz. Compared to earlier mobile quad-core Xeon and Core i7 CPUs, the additional two cores of the new Hexa-core CPUs results in more than 25% performance boost at no significant cost increase.ADLINK’s Express-CF provides standard support for up to 48GB non-ECC DDR4 in three SO-DIMMs (two on the top side, one on the bottom), while complying with PICMG COM.0 mechanical specifications. Modules equipped with the Xeon Hexa-core processor support both ECC and non-ECC SODIMMs.

The NanoCOM-APL is an Apollo Lake upgrade for customers of Aaeon’s similarly COM Express Type 10 Mini form-factor NanoCOM-BT module, which runs on a Bay Trail Atom E3800 SoC. No OS support was listed for the factory automation targeted NanoCOM-APL, but we assume that like the NanoCOM-BT, it runs Linux, as well as Windows.

NanoCOM-APL, front and back
(click images to enlarge)

Three Intel Apollo Lake SoCs are available: the quad-core Pentium N4200 and Atom E3950 and the dual-core Celeron N3350. The Pentium and Atom SKUs ship standard with 4 GB LPDDR4, and the Celeron model has 2 GB. Yet, Aaeon also lists a maximum capacity of 8 GB LPDDR4. The only other difference between the SKUs is that the Atom-based model is the only one with 32 GB eMMC 5.0 storage, with an option for up to 64 GB.

The relatively low TDPs of the Atom SoCs compared to other x86 processors enables power consumption of as little as 7 W for the Celeron module, says Aaeon. (The Atom E3950 model runs at up to 12 W.)

The low power consumption enables “hand-held, battery powered devices and fully enclosed IP67 applications,” says Aaeon, One early customer is already using the module combined with an FPGA and an AI chip for a machine vision system that can scan products to “create 3D images that can be checked for faults,” says the company. The vision system be integrated within a production line or a robotic arm.

NanoCOM-APL and block diagram
(click images to enlarge)

The NanoCOM-APL module is equipped with an Intel I210IT GbE controller with WoL, and offers dual SATA II interfaces. The Intel HD Graphics Gen9 drives an 18/24-bit single-channel LVDS interface (or optional eDP) plus a DDI connector that supports DDI, LCD/eDP, or LVDS. In the press release, Aaeon promotes the module’s dual MIPI-CSI interfaces. However, there’s no evidence for this on the product page, datasheet, or block diagram.

The NanoCOM-APL supports 2x USB 3.0, 8x USB 2.0, 2x TX/RX serial, and an HD audio interface. You also get 8-bit GPIO, I2C, LPC Bus, SMBus, and PCIe, which can be configured as PCIe x4 or 3x PCIe x1.

Like the NanoCOM-BT, the 84 x 55mm module is available in 0 to 60˚C and -40 to 85˚C models. A watchdog is standard, and a heatspreader and CPU cooler are optional. There’s a 12V power input with optional 5V, with both supporting AT and ATX.

ECB-920A carrier board detail view
(click image to enlarge)

The NanoCOM-APL supports the same Aaeon ECB-920A carrier board as the earlier NanoCOM-BT. Coastline ports include dual USB 3.0, dual USB 2.0, dual DisplayPort, and VGA, GbE, and audio. The ECB-920A also provides 5x PCIe x1 slots, as well as PCIe x4, PCIe x16, and mini-PCIe slots. Four SATA ports, dual serial ports, an I2C interface, and a debug port are also on board.

Further information

No pricing or availability information was provided for the NanoCOM-APL module. More information may be found at Aaeon’s NanoCOM-APL product page.

To meet the distinct needs from users, there are six SATA-600 with RAID 0/1/5/10, six USB 3.0, five USB 2.0, four RS-232 ports, two RS-232/422/485 ports, one DisplayPort, one DVI-D, one HDMI and one VGA, as well as has two Gigabit Ethernet ports with Intel i219LM and Intel i211AT controllers. To ensure stable and reliable operation, the high performance Intel Core-based industrial micro ATX motherboard supports a watchdog timer and hardware monitoring features. Furthermore, this new embedded board runs well with Windows 7 and Windows 10 operating systems.

PCB design tools and methods continue to evolve as they race to keep pace with faster, highly integrated electronics. Automated, rules-based chip placement is getting more sophisticated and tools are addressing the broader picture of the PCB design process.

By Jeff Child

Diagnostic fter decades of evolving their PCB design tool software packages, the leading tool vendors have the basics of PCB design nailed down—auto-routing, complex layer support, schematic capture and so on. In recent years, these companies have continued to come up with new enhancements to their tool suites, addressing a myriad of issues related to not just the PCB design itself, but the whole process surrounding it.

With that in mind, even in the last sixth months, PCB tool vendors have added a whole host of new capabilities to their offerings. These include special reliability analysis capabilities, sophisticated design-for-test (DFT) tools, extended team collaboration support and more.

SerDes applies to interfaces like PCI Express (PCIe) that are used anywhere high-bandwidth is required. The problem is today’s hardware engineers lack time to fully understand the detailed signal integrity requirements of these interface protocols and may have limited access to signal integrity (SI) and 3D EM experts for counsel. Mentor’s new HyperLynx release provides tool-embedded protocol-specific channel compliance. The company claims it’s the industry’s first fully automatic validation tool for PCB SerDes interfaces. This includes a 3D explorer feature for design and layout optimization of non-uniform structures like breakouts and vias.

Figure 1Using HyperLynx, a 3D area is automatically created based on the available return path.

This isn’t the first Mentor Graphics time came out with PCB design tools that address a new dimension of PCB design. In March 2017, the company released its Xpedition vibration and acceleration simulation product for PCB systems reliability and failure prediction. The Xpedition product augments mechanical analysis and physical testing by introducing virtual accelerated lifecycle testing much earlier in the design process. The tool lets you simulate during the design process to determine PCB reliability and reduce field failure rates. You can also detect components on the threshold of failure that would be missed during physical testing. Finally, you can analyze pin-level Von-Mises stress and deformation to determine failure probability and safety factors.

DFT Plugin Added

In its most recent enhancement to its PCB tools offering, in February Zuken announced that it teamed up with boundary scan tool vendor XJTAG to add a plugin that enhances Zuken’s CR-8000 PCB Design Suite with a design for test (DFT) capability. . …

Note: We’ve made the October 2017 issue of Circuit Cellar available as a free sample issue. In it, you’ll find a rich variety of the kinds of articles and information that exemplify a typical issue of the current magazine.

Congatec has introduced the conga-TR4 COM Express Type 6 module based on the new AMD Ryzen Embedded V1000 processors. AMD Ryzen Embedded V1000 processors deliver up to 3X more GPU performance than competitive solutions, and up to 2X increase in performance over previous generations . With a TDP that is scalable from 12 W to 54 W, Congatec products based on these new processors can benefit from multiple performance leaps across the TDP range and enormous optimization potential with regards to size, weight, power and costs (SWaP-C) at high graphics performance.

The new Congatec COM Express basic modules are designed for the development of embedded computing systems with impressive graphics performance for applications such as medical imaging; professional broadcasting, infotainment and gambling; digital signage; control rooms and video surveillance; optical quality control and 3D simulators. Other applications include smart robotics and autonomous vehicles that use deep learning to optimize their situational awareness.

The new conga-TR4 high-performance modules with COM Express Type 6 pinout are based on the latest AMD Ryzen Embedded V1000 multi-core processors. These modules offer up to 52% more processor performance, reaching up to 3.75 GHz. Thanks to symmetrical multiprocessing, they also provide particularly high parallel processing performance. They support up to 32 GB energy-efficient and fast dual-channel DDR4 memory with up to 3200 MT/s and optional ECC for maximum data security.

The new integrated AMD Radeon Vega graphics with up to 11 compute units marks the cutting edge of embedded graphics. It supports up to four independent displays with up to 4k UHD resolution and 10-bit HDR, as well as DirectX 12 and OpenGL 4.4 for 3D graphics. The integrated video engine enables hardware-accelerated streaming of HEVC (H.265) video in both directions. Thanks to HSA and OpenCL 2.0 support, deep learning workloads can be assigned to the GPU. In safety-critical applications, the integrated AMD Secure Processor helps with hardware-accelerated encryption and decryption of RSA, SHA and AES.

The new conga-TR4 is also the first Congatec COM Express Type 6 module to allow a complete USB-C implementation on the carrier board including USB 3.1 Gen 2 with 10 Gbit/s, Power Delivery and DisplayPort 1.4, for example to connect external touchscreens with a single cable. Further performance-oriented interfaces offered, includes 1x PEG 3.0 x8, 4x PCIe Gen 3 and 4x PCIe Gen 2, 3x USB 3.1 Gen 2, 1x USB 3.1 Gen 1, 8x USB 2.0, 2x SATA Gen 3, 1x Gbit Ethernet. I/Os for SD, SPI, LPC, I²C as well as 2x legacy UART from the CPU and High Definition Audio round off the range of interfaces.

The supported operating systems include Linux, Yocto 2.0 and Microsoft Windows 10, or optionally Windows 7. Congatec provides an extensive range of passive and active cooling solutions for workstation designs up to 54W performance, application-ready carrier boards as well as best practice carrier board layouts and circuit diagrams, such as for USB-C implementations, to help simplify the design-in of the modules. Congatec also offers the development of custom carrier boards and module variants.

BittWare recently announced today its second low-profile PCIe board—the A5-PCIe-S (A5PS). The new board is based on Altera’s Arria V GZ FPGA, which provides a high level of system integration and flexibility for I/O, routing, and processing. Thus, the A5PS is a reliable platform for a variety of applications (e.g., network processing, security, broadcast, and signals intelligence).

Featuring dual SFP+ cages that run up to 12.5 Gbps, the A5PS provides dual 10GigE ports using optical transceivers as well as passive copper cabling up to 7 m. These ports are serviced by the advanced 28-nm Arria V GZ FPGA, which also supports a Gen3 x8 PCIe interface and either 8-GB DDR3 or 36-MB QDRII+. Sophisticated time-stamping and synchronization options are supported by dual SMA connectors for interfacing to 1-PPS or 10-MHz reference clocks, in addition to the tunable on-board high accuracy, temperature compensated oscillator (TCXO). A comprehensive Board Management Controller (BMC) with host software support for advanced system monitoring is also provided.

The A5PS features and specifications include:

Altera Arria V GZ FPGA

PCIe x8 interface supporting Gen1, Gen2, or Gen3

Dual SFP+ cages for 2x 10GigE: Support for a wide range of optical transceiver; built-in low-latency active drivers/receivers for passive copper cables up to 7 m

The BIS-3922 improves on HABEY’s BIS-6922 system by offering additional I/O for more applications and solutions. The system is well suited for automation, digital signage, network security, point of sale, transportation, and digital surveillance applications.
The BIS-3922 system includes six DB9 COM ports on the front panel, one of which supports RS-232/-422/-485. HABEY’s proprietary ICEFIN design ensures maximum heat dissipation and a true fanless system.

The BIS-3922 system is built with the Intel QM77 chipset and is compatible with the third-generation Ivy Bridge Core processors. The BIS-3922 system’s additional features include a HM77 chipset that supports third-generation Intel Core i3/i5/i7 processors; dual gigabit Ethernet ports; High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), video graphics array (VGA), and low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS) display interfaces; one mini-PCI Express (PCIe) and one mSATA expansion; and a 3.5” single-board computer (SBC) form factor.

The M2i.4960 and the M2i.4961 mid-speed 16-bit digitizers are available for PCI/PCI-X and PCIe. The devices offer two or four synchronous channels with a 60 megasamples-per-second (MSPS) speed and a 30-MHz bandwidth.

The channels can be individually switched between single-ended and true differential input mode, therefore single-ended and differential signals can be simultaneously acquired with one digitizer. Each input channel includes an on-board calibration. The channels can be software programmed for proper termination, user offset, and input range.

The devices’ acquisition modes include segmented acquisition, gated acquisition, or streaming mode. The devices also feature a versatile clock and trigger section, making them suitable for a variety of different applications. Multiple cards can be internally synchronized to obtain more synchronous channels or to directly synchronize to arbitrary and digital waveform generators or digital waveform capture cards.

A digital input option enables up to 32 synchronous digital input channels to be acquired by multiplexing them into the analog data in different ways. Each of the 16 digital inputs can completely replace one analog channel or each of the 2/4 digital inputs can be stored together with the A/D sample by reducing its resolution.

The U5303A digitizer and the U5340A FPGA development kit are recent enhancements to Agilent Technologies’s PCI Express (PCIe) high-speed digitizers. The U5303A and the U5340A FPGA add next-generation real-time peak detection functionalities to the PCIe devices.

The U5303A is a 12-bit PCIe digitizer with programmable on-board processing. It offers high performance in a small footprint, making it an ideal platform for many commercial, industrial, and aerospace and defense embedded systems. A data processing unit (DPU) based on the Xilinx Virtex-6 FPGA is at the heart of the U5303A. The DPU controls the module functionality, data flow, and real-time signal processing. This feature enables data reduction and storage to be carried out at the digitizer level, minimizing transfer volumes and accelerating analysis.

The U5340A FPGA development kit is designed to help companies and researchers protect their IP signal-processing algorithms. The FPGA kit enables integration of an advanced real-time signal processing algorithm within Agilent Technologies’s high-speed digitizers. The U5340A features high-speed medical imaging, analytical time-of-flight, lidar ranging, non-destructive testing, and a direct interface to digitizer hardware elements (e.g., the ADC, clock manager, and memory blocks). The FPGA kit includes a library of building blocks, from basic gates to dual-port RAM; a set of IP cores; and ready-to-use scripts that handle all aspects of the build flow.

The PCIe-2602 is an SDI video/audio capture card that supports all SD/HD/3G-SDI signals and operates at six times the resolution of regular VGA connections. The card also provides video quality with lossless full color YUV 4:4:4 images for sharp, clean images.

The PCIe-2602 is well suited for medical imaging and intelligent video surveillance and analytics. With up to 12-bit pixel depth, the card provides extreme image clarity and smoother transitions from color-to-color enhance image detail to support critical medical imaging applications, including picture archiving and communication system (PACS) endoscopy and broadcasting.

The card’s features include low latency uncompressed video streaming, CPU offloading, and support for high-quality live viewing for video analytics of real-time image acquisition, as required in casino and defense environments. PCIe-2602 signals can be transmitted over 100 m when combined with a 75-Ω coaxial cable.

The PCIe-2602 is equipped with RS-485 and digital I/O. It accommodates external devices (e.g., PTZ cameras and sensors) and supports Windows 7/XP OSes. The card comes with ADLINK’s ViewCreator Pro utility to enable setup, configuration, testing, and system debugging without any software programming. All ADLINK drivers are compatible with Microsoft DirectShow.